Sri Lanka parliament grants leave for PM and injured MP

Parliament of Sri Lanka today granted three months leave for two of its legislators to allow them to continue medical treatment. Parliament today approved three months leave from December 22 for Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne and the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) parliamentarian Duminda Silva. Under the Constitution, parliament has to approve prolonged leave of absence for its legislators otherwise the legislator will lose his seat after a lapse of three months. The PM has just returned to the country after a two-month stay at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland while MP Silva is currently receiving treatment in a Singapore hospital for gunshot injuries. The ruling party MP Silva sustained severe injuries to his head during a shooting incident in last October. He was implicated in the murder of Presidential aide Baratha Lakshman Premachandra who was killed in the shootout along with three others. MP Silva has been given continuous leave since the shooting incident.